The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-13
NERVOUS HEROES.
They Could Face the Music of Battle, But
Ouailed in "A Dentists Chair.


Quailed In Dentists Chair.
Having occasion TO visit dentist the
other day asked him if was the most
nervous man he ever had in his chair.
BLESS You. no." replied the tooth
tinker. You are only about the aver
age patient and it would surprise YOU
to see how some of the big men act
when they come here to get their teeth
! fixed. General Sheridan, for example,
! is one of the worst men in dentists
! chair you ever saw. and General Logan
is even worse than he. Why, Logan
is as tender as baby, and will shrink
at the slightest touch on his nerves,
while suppose there were never two
Drawer men in battle than they. Gen.
eral Sherman, too, is about as bad, and
acts as if he We're going to have tit
whenever the drill is put into his teeth.
He jumps and grunts and groans. and
takes on worse than if he were having
his leg cut off.
General Burnside, on the contrary,
was one of the most patient and endur-
ing men l ever saw. | have had him
in my chair number of times and have
filed lot Of his teeth. He would sit
quietly without making a moan or say
ing a word from the time he took his
seat until the job was finished He al
ways seemed to be grateful that had
not caused him any more pain, and
when would ask him, as l did some
times, Does that hurt You, general?'
he would reply, %, no. not much; 20
on and let's get done with it, the sooner
the JOB is over the better"
ANDREW johnson, when he was
Vice-PreSident and when he was in the
Senate, came TO my office several times,
and was very good patient, taking
things philosophically and making me
very little trouble. l once filled four
teeth for him at sitting. and every one
of them was in good condition. The job
lasted nearly five hours and must have
hurt him dreadfully, but he never
WINGED. and did not seem to have any
nerves at all.
"Old Zach. Chandler was another
good patient. He would sit in the chair
almost motionless, and would let me
drill away at his teeth without any re-
monstrance or show of pain. But one
time, when undertook to draw tooth
for him, l thought the old man would
60 crazy. 1t was a tough old grinder,
and had been troubling him good
deal, being liberated around the roots.
| got good hold with the nippers, and
the first time nearly lifted him out of
the chair. But it did not come. took
hold again, and lifted him the same as
before. | saw that his face was quite
pale, and asked him if he did not want
TO rest. He said: No, would like to
have it out at once But as the opera
ton was evidently so painful, and as he
seemed TO keep growing paler, l sug-
gested that he had better take ether.
He declined, saying that he never took
an anasthetic in his life, and never
would. Turning around sharply, he
told me to 90 on and have it over with
out further delay. l got hold again
and gave jerk that drew the tooth
from his head. He lay back in the
chair entirely exhausted and closed his
eyes. l thought for i moment that he
would faint. and brought him a glass
of water, asking if it hurt him much.
Looking up to me, he said: Yes, it
hurt like fury
Il find almost without exception that
military and naval men are great cow
ards in a dentists chair; the braver
they are in battle the more nervous
they seem to be when they come to get
their teeth fixed.
Il think about the worst patient |
ever had was an officer of the army,
formerly on General Howard's staff.
He was very gallant officer during
the war, was shot all to pieces, and I
believe has since died from the wounds
he received in battle. At the time he
came to me he was full of lead, and
carried the scars he received in battle.
But l never in all my life had so ner-
vous and excitable 4 man in my chair.
Every time | made move toward him
he would shrink, and once when /
touched the nerve he shed genuine tears
and begged me, like child would beg
his mother, not to hurt him so again"
. Washington Cor. Chicago NeaOs